Protective pads are often used in manufacturing plants or work areas to protect workers from deleterious surfaces (e.g., hot, abrasive, sharp, hard, etc.). Protective pads typically include a cushioning layer (e.g., foam, batting, felt, etc.) and/or a shielding layer (e.g., plastic, leather, metallic armor, etc.) that are disposed between the deleterious surface and the worker. The cushioning layer is typically adjacent the worker to provide comfort as the worker comes into contact with the deleterious surface. The shielding layer typically provides a robust barrier between the worker and the deleterious surface.
In certain service applications such as, for example, in the construction, automotive, and aerospace industries, workers crawl across or kneel on deleterious surfaces. For example, workers may kneel on sections of a structure held together with protruding temporary fasteners (e.g., nails, bolts, wedge lock pins, etc.) while welding the sections together.
Therefore, in certain service applications involving deleterious surfaces with protruding objects, protective pads are often employed by workers kneeling on the deleterious surfaces. Although resistant to larger diameter protruding objects (e.g., bolts), such protective pads may nonetheless be punctured by some protruding objects (e.g., nails, wedge lock pins). Further, such protective pads may engage the protruding objects in a manner that produces an uncomfortable surface for the worker. These known protective pads, in addition to not preventing discomfort, may further fail to prevent damage to fasteners (e.g., wedge pin fasteners, clamps, etc.). At least one known protective pad is composed of foam (e.g., ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene-vinyl acetate (PEVA), etc.) through which protruding objects can puncture or form uncomfortable bumps.